To follow in your footsteps
by PlathRamsey
Summary: Immediately after KOT. Jasmine prompts Aladdin to be completely honest, he reveals how Cassim urged him to abandon Jasmine and flee Agrabah. Jasmine is upset with Cassim... until Aladdin reveals that his father did have some intriguing teachings for his son on his honeymoon. Explains Aladdin's grin at the end of KOT Rated M for sexy theme. Contains sweet Al & Jas fluff. Complete


Aladdin's Magic Carpet had flown the newlyweds high above Agrabah. The adventurous couple decided to let their honeymoon destination be a surprise to them. Their journey was in the hands of the ornate magical rug.

"Aladdin, now that we are married, no elaborate lies. No more fibs, omissions. Not even white lies. There should be nothing between us."

"Jasmine,_ heh._ I know this already... I mean you had me add those exact words in my wedding vows just an hour ago." Aladdin's face flushed in dilemma recalling his history with the truth.

Aladdin hadn't enjoyed deceiving Jasmine with the concocted Prince ruse. In fact, his first wish was to make Jasmine feel the same way about him, _as he did her._ Turns out it was against the limitations of the Genie. In both wishful requests, getting Jasmine to love Aladdin was the root of the desire. Jasmine was literally his wish come true. Now it was time to grant some of hers.

Jasmine had forever wished for a romantic honeymoon. Aladdin wanted to deliver! Unfortunately Cassim's gutting words kept resurfacing. Aladdin had made peace with his father in the end. Just days before however, they'd had the man-to-man confrontation every fatherless boy imagines having some day. Instead of a bonding moment, easy-going Aladdin almost found his arms around his father's neck.

Aladdin hadn't told anyone about the words exchanged. Not to "lie, fib or omit" but rather because he'd been internalizing the pain. Now Jasmine was sternly demanding they leave secrecy in the past.

"So _nothing_ else then?" Jasmine's earth colored eyes begged for truth.

"Nothing else! ... After I tell you about the argument I got into with my dad."

A flash of betrayal lit her face. "Aladdin!"

"Jasmine, please... hear me out." Sorrow filled his face with sincerity. More attune with him than ever, Jasmine silenced her accusatory tone and listened.

"After freeing my father from the dungeon, I disguised myself under the Forty Thieves cloak. I let the guards think I was The King of Thieves... to pursue me. I wanted to give my dad a head start outta Agrabah! To leave my life for good! I've outran those guards, Razoul and his gang, about a hundred times. I wasn't expecting to be cornered... and have my mask cut from my face. With my identity exposed, Razoul threatened to tell you that I freed the prisoner. Said that you wouldn't accept me after knowing what I did. I was threatened that I'd be locked away."

Expressing these memories for the first time was a bit troubling for the boy. His street smart persona was needed to survive. You don't last long crying in the cold, hard streets of Agrabah. He'd stuffed down his vulnerabilities for so long. Jasmine was the only person he felt he could be _emotionally_ honest with.

"Razoul tried to finish me off... My father knocked Razoul out long enough for he and I to escape on horseback... Only I never planned to escape. I wanted to see my father off... make sure he'd lost the guards. That's when my dad hit a nerve. He apologized."

"He apologized?" Jasmine's cinnamon skin glowed under the setting sun. Her beautiful face troubled with a confused expression. "He hit a nerve by... apologizing to you?"

His cocoa colored eyes met hers. "Cassim apologized for the loss I was going to feel after I ran with him. In his cowardice mind... running away was the only choice."

Perturbed Princess Jasmine prodded for clarity... even though she knew he wouldn't make up something so serious. "He wanted you to run? Those were his exact words?"

This fresh wound had been suffered in silence. Aladdin knew repeating Cassim's words would hurt her too. "His exact words were "You can't go back now."

It stung. Jasmine was reminded of the abandonment issues she'd developed since the loss of her mother. If Cassim's suggestion hurt _her_... she realized how much harder it must be on Aladdin. "What did _you_ say?"

Aladdin could take pride in the stance he'd taken. "That I needed to go back... because that's where **you** were. That I wouldn't leave you!" Through the pain, Aladdin managed to shoot Jasmine a smile to certify his reliability.

His bewitching bride smiled back. There was a look of relief in her almond shaped eyes. Aladdin's devout loyalty erased the fears on her behalf.

"I didn't really even know the guy, Jasmine... but I looked up to him as my father. In that moment... when he told me to leave you... I wanted to knock his head off his shoulders! Instantly I lost respect for him." Aladdin truly resented his father for suggesting he abandon Jasmine. The very thought brought disgust to the apple juggler.

It wasn't just about his love story. The casual tone in which Cassim suggested the abandonment, triggered Aladdin too. It confirmed his greatest fear. His father walked out because he was a coward. There was a detachment. It was no skin off his teeth to walk out on his family.

Aladdin flexed in surprise at his bride's sudden hug. Aladdin had been dealing with his own inner-issues... but this was a sore spot for Jasmine too. She felt flattered and grateful that Aladdin was so angered by a suggestion of separation from her. She embraced him tightly, basking in the reassurance. Aladdin smiled and rubbed her back with his strong, comforting touch.

Through conversing with Genie back in the wish granting days, Aladdin learned to communicate very precise. He worded carefully so his words wouldn't be taken literally. With Jasmine he could communicate beyond semantics. Aladdin and Jasmine were a very touchy-feely couple. Physical affection was there love language. No matter how badly Jasmine got under his skin, he never denied her affection if she asked. Never would he reject her. When his father asked him to, he saw himself in Jasmine. _What would she think? That he just walked out on her right before their wedding? She'd think she'd been abandoned without even a goodbye note. _He could never put her through the pain he was put through.

Jasmine noticed a fleck of guilt in Aladdin's golden eyes. She knew that her groom was worried he'd been a wet blanket on their wedding night. Her slender fingers squeezed his strong shoulders. It was rare to see Aladdin this vulnerable. The warmth from Jasmine's hands on his shoulder made him feel he could tell her anything. He took her small hand, placing it over his heart. "I love you, Jasmine. I never doubted my love for you. Maybe I just doubted my father's legacy..."

Jasmine took her free hand to her husband's cheek. Gingerly brushing his face with her thumb. "What do you mean, Aladdin?"

The boy sighed. "My father walked out on my mother. I'm my father's son. I worried it was in the gene pool. My dad was never around for my mom... So I had no example of what kind of husband to be."

This was an unexplored area in which the young lovers understood each other. It was often too painful to dredge up... but Jasmine knew Aladdin struggled with his father's departure. Aladdin knew how much his wife missed her deceased mother.

Just a glance and they were exact opposites. Rich and poor. Easy-going meets fiery passion. Sheltered meets exposed. Jasmine felt a strong connection to Aladdin ever since locking eyes. As if there was one single soul and it shared two bodies. He was her twin-flame. Even his insecurities mirrored her own. "Can you imagine father, The Sultan... teaching me about girl stuff?" Imagining the awkward conversations amused Aladdin.

"I hadn't a mother to teach me how to love a man." A lump formed in Aladdin's throat. Jasmine had got pretty close to his ear when uttering this confession. He noticed a flirtatious tone in her voice... but wasn't sure. He slapped the back of his neck and begun to rub nervously. "That was... the _other_ reason I sought out my father..."

Now it was Jasmine who was amused. "Go on."

Aladdin's face reddened with embarrassment. "Well... it all started after we'd made truce."

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman." Cassim grinned suggestively at his offspring. This was the moment of camaraderie the thieving Chief had hoped to share with his son. Aladdin had partitioned a line in the sand distinguishing both men by character. However through his son's taste in women, Cassim could see a glimpse of himself. "Why... if I were 20 years younger-"

"Cool it, old man!" Aladdin warned. He'd accepted who his father was. That didn't mean he wouldn't rebuke the bandit for disrespect.

The elder laughed, rich in experience. He knew he'd have to tone down his coarseness. Cassim could see that Aladdin had many curiosities... but was too much a gentleman to inquire. "Forgive me if I've been obscene. I just wanted to make sure my boy was being taken care of is all."

Aladdin had started to fidget with a doubloon in his pocket. It slipped from his nervous fingers as his father's inquiry caught him off guard.

The first born son was an heir to the throne. The Sultan having bore one child, a girl, meant marrying her off to a Prince. Jasmine had been taught the essentials of a suitable bride. A royal suitor from a neighboring kingdom would provide Jasmine a carefree life of wealth and protection. She would repay him with her beauty... and chastity.

She'd spent the first 17 years of her life... never leaving the palace walls. As repressive as abstinence sounded, she had no opportunity to rebel against it.

Jasmine's father had not been as oppressive as other Kings over their daughters. There had never been any chastity belt, nor interrogations. Sultan simply took Jasmine's verbal agreement to purity. The Sultan shared sentiments of how he and his wife waited. Jasmine felt closer to her mother by accepting this family tradition.

Aladdin didn't mind waiting until Jasmine was ready. This was common of young Islamic women. He respected Jasmine's choice not to wear head-covering... just as he accepted her right to stick by her virtue. This didn't mean Aladdin didn't struggle with the frustrations of being a man with unattended needs. "I guess I'll find out how well she can take care of me on our wedding night."

Cassim's mature face was still very handsome. His eyes wrinkled with wisdom. He'd seen a lot in his walk in life, yet still was genuinely surprised that Aladdin and Jasmine hadn't consummated their relationship. "Wow."

"Yeah..."

An awkward silence gloomed over the men. Aladdin rubbed his forearm sheepishly, unsure of what to say next. His father also at a loss. Seducing woman had been second nature to the captivating Cassim. Jasmine must be a very special young lady to have his son so obedient. "But... you've been... taken care of before, right?"

Aladdin wished this wasn't so uncomfortable... but his father was still a stranger to him. He hadn't had a male figure to navigate this area of his life. Aladdin had thought of asking Genie, whose power seemed to be all-knowing. It seemed even more awkward considering Genie's whimsical, silly spirit.

"Yeah... when I was a street rat." Aladdin nodded... avoiding eye contact. He'd hardly considered himself the ladies man his father was. Though he'd had more casual encounters than he liked admitting to Jasmine. His first experience had been at the age of 12, by a seedy older woman guaranteeing she could show him the ropes. Through puberty, Aladdin matured into a muscular young man. He had street-women throwing themselves at him constantly. He'd even visited harem-girls in the brothels of Agrabah. Aladdin came to the conclusion that these women were to fill a void of loneliness. Solely for the purpose of physical need. He'd never taken a girl to his squalor, before Jasmine. His wedding night certainly wouldn't be his first time... but it would be his first time with someone he _loved._

"Though, dad... I'm not sure I have much... skill."

The older man erupted into confident laughter. No, he hadn't been there to teach Aladdin how to be a man. Maybe this was his second chance. A possibility at making up for lost time. Finally a chance to mentor his son in an area where he permeated expertise, and where his son lacked craft.

The father spent the next hour bragging about his impressive conquests. He'd been with some of the most beautiful women, all around the world. He'd even provided books for Aladdin. Vivid drawings from different cultures, more liberal about pleasure. Cassim explained the importance of foreplay, technique, and position. Aladdin could feel confident with the knowledge his father was passing down to him. He was rather sure of himself now... that with his unbridled passion for his bride, and his father's insight, that he'd make Jasmine very happy.

The raven haired beauty beamed curiously under her wedding veil. Hearing her husband quote Cassim's sensual adventures with such interest, eagerness and fearlessness. It made Jasmine want Aladdin to teach and introduce her to the experiences.

"Hahah. So, THAT'S what your devilish smirk on the carpet was about?" Jasmine was entertained now connecting the dots of Aladdin's bold display. It was obvious there was heavy anticipation. Now Jasmine knew just what Aladdin had been anticipating. The handsome groom flashed a daring smile with his large, white teeth. He had hoped he'd charmed her. The Magic Carpet could read the vibe in the air. In swift, gentle wings of flight... Carpet transcended upon a desert island... putting the newlyweds in privacy.

"Show me?" Jasmine purred, batting her eyelashes playfully enough... but with a serious undertone of seduction. Aladdin kissed her... for the first time with the feverish passion of a man. He'd known when he first fell for her that he'd need to show restraint. Jasmine too had learned to stop his kisses when temptation deepened. Now they were released, unchained. Ready to give themselves to each other in scorching ecstasy. Finally Jasmine could be satisfied that there was... _nothing_ between them. 

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** My first Aladdin fic! I am new to the fandom! Just watched the live action and the cartoons and now I'm hooked! Please review if you read. Love to know how I am doing and possibly write more Aladdin fics!**


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